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Comment by cjrp | Hacker News Reader

I thought all ketchups were about the same, until a Polish friend brought some back with them (Pudliszki). I never knew ketchup could taste like actual tomatoes!

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I find this very interesting, because Pudliszki is generally considered suspicious around here in Poland because it's laced with sugar.

For generations now children in kindergarten have been repeating the phrase "ketchup Pudliszki przeczyści Ci kiszki"("Pudliszki ketchup will clear out your guts").

Kotlin (no relation to the programming language. Or is there? We may never know) I believe has much less sugar.

Anyway if you ever get the chance go to McDonald's in Italy and ask for ketchup - it's 0,50€ per portion, but the taste is completely different than anywhere in Europe.

Ah Italy, they somehow handle anything tomato-related differently, and I mean better.

Currently baking alive on vacation in Sicily, tomatoes from basic stores taste much better than regular ones I can buy in Switzerland, any time of the year. When they do pasta with red sauce its something I want to pack and take home with us and just clone forever. I mean obviously their home made pasta al dente is superb, but those extra more-red-than-red sauces are also on another level.

Country seems a bit broken and drivers dont seem to recognize basic traffic rules, but food is up there, pretty consistently.

Since you mentioned Pudliszki and Kotlin, here's the Polish Map of Ketchup [1]. The Polish ketchup market is quite varied. The map shows where different ketchup brands are produced.

And I've just learnt that Heinz owns Pudliszki.

[1]: https://i.wpimg.pl/1200x/d.wpimg.pl/2014472425--622848009/ke...

> The name comes from Kotlin Island, near St. Petersburg. Andrey Breslav mentioned that the team decided to name it after an island, just like Java was named after the Indonesian island of Java[13] (though the programming language Java was perhaps named after the coffee rather than the island).[14]

Sadly no

Here in Norway the most common ketchup, Idun Tomatketchup, is made especially for sausages like Vienna sausage. It's OK for its purpose, but is lacking for other uses, especially with more flavorful foods.

I preferred Heinz for some things, I quite like vinegar so, until I found a jar of some Country Ketchup from Stonewall Kitchen[1]. That's something else entirely, and I love it, especially for burgers and bratwursts.

So yeah, ketchup ain't just ketchup... not entirely unlike mustards.

[1]: https://www.stonewallkitchen.com/country-ketchup-261607.html

So, I have a question: Is this available in the store or do you have to order it? And if so, are those stores located outside of Oslo as well? I'd totally pick up this ketchup if it is available here in Trondheim. (I already make special trips to one chain to get my preferred ketchup).

I found it at my local Meny here in Oslo. I see they have it in their web shop, direct link broken but search for "Country Ketchup", so good chance you'd get it up there in Trondheim. If they don't have it I'd ask. It's expensive but very flavorful so I find it lasts a good while.

edit: one of my fav combos is this on Jacob's Rå Bratwurst[1] with wholegrain buns. YMMV :)

[1]: https://meny.no/varer/kjott/polser/spesialpolser/bratwurst-7...

Thanks! I'll start checking various Meny locations as I pass them.

I don't know why but I swear by Hellmans Ketchup now.

When I immigrated from India, the very first thing I noticed was that ketchup tastes very different.

If India is anything like South America, the ketchup is much more watery. Even Heinz. At first I thought it was a different recipe but they do it to make it cheaper by adding extra water. Same with packaging, lots of stuff in plastic bags instead of plastic bottles.

I started trying different ketchups after moving to Norway. I settled on one from Mutti - it is nice and thick and has a bit of texture while still being smooth and ketchupy, unlike Heinz (which is what I call standard ketchup).

Of course, Norway being Norway means that to get this ketchup, I have to stop by one particular grocery store chain as they are the only ones that sell it. If I can't make it there for whatever reason, though, Heinz it is. It is always a bit of a disappointment even though it is what I consumed for years.

I’ve only had Heinz until the Covid shortages, and I was forced to try Sir Kensington’s ketchup, and I will never buy Heinz again. Sir Kensington’s was thicker and tasted more like tomatoes.

There’s a brand out of Denver called Elevation Ketchup that is fantastic! I would strongly suggest people check it out.

One of my favourites, Heinz tastes like vinegar in comparison.

Though I know people who tried both and prefer Heinz.

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